By Dash Jordan
Hey kids, it’s Dash! I normally like to wait a little while before my next project, as a way to keep my creative juices flowing. But, I find myself on a roll yet again. I’m just so in love with the month of October, and I’m not done reminding the world that Everyday IS Halloween! Speaking of which, you know what also plays a huge part in this time of year? Music! Oh yeah, it’s been awhile since my last Dash Tunes review. Who better to kick off the Halloween Playlist then the Legends of Horror Punk themselves, right? The REAL Hometown Heroes! Straight Outta New Jersey, Crazy Mother@#$%ers called The Misfits!
If you boils and ghouls don’t know by now, then you sure as hell know now. The Misfits are a legendary Horror Punk band founded in Lodi, New Jersey and have been kicking ass since their debut in 1977. Over the years, the band have been through so many changes from their lineup to the delivery of their own unique style. The Misfits were originally lead most notably by Glenn Danzig until he left in 1983 to kick off his own successful career with his band Samhain; later changing the name to Danzig. After a 12-year hiatus, The Misfits replaced Danzig with the very polarizing Michale Graves and has been the band’s frontman from 1995 to 1998…You know what? I’m not going to go through all the details about the band’s history and numerous lineup changes. Otherwise, it’ll be a very long day. To put it bluntly, the band has more reboots than Batman, James Bond, The Doctor and Donald Trump’s political views combined.
He he he, Dash Jordan’s Jokes…Fiend Club tested, Jerry Only approved. Anywho, The Misfits then released their seventh and latest album, ‘The Devil’s Rain’. With the band consisting of Dez Cadena(Lead Guitar & Backing Vocals), Eric “Chupacabra” Arce(Drums) and now lead by longtime member, Jerry Only(Lead Vocals & Bass Guitar), this 2011 LP has since been one of the band’s more “mixed” albums. In my professional opinion, this album is probably more polarizing than the Michale Graves-era. So, why the negative criticism?
Not now, Dave! Anyway, I just want to point out what this album has going for it. For one, it’s The Misfits doing what The Misfits do best. I know a lot of people may give me crap for saying that. While I will agree that the Danzig-era Misfits may be superior for its Horror Punk roots and Glenn’s overall presence, I find it just little unfair since it was the more Heavy Metal-centric feel of the Graves-era that made me a fan to begin with. With that said, I consider the Only-era to be a near-perfect mix of both. Which is to be expected, since Jerry Only has been with the band since the beginning. From the album’s opening track to its other gems like ‘Vivid Red’, ‘Land Of The Dead’, ‘Twilight Of The Dead’ and ‘Father’ are everything you’d expect from The Misfits.
There are two standalone tracks out of my five personal favorites from this album. One of them being ‘Vivid Red’; a relenting homage to the bloody opening to ‘Bram Stoker’s Dracula’:
My other personal favorite being ‘Father’; the fast and catchy middle-child which may or may not be a clever take on Alucard, The Son Of Dracula:
The Misfits sure do love their Dracula, don’t they? Now, with songs like ‘Monkey’s Paw’ and ‘Ghost Of Frankenstein’, it’s no reason why casual listeners try to skip this one or even why some die-hard fans may not know what to make of it. Unless you have morbid curiosity and want to hear Jerry Only’s horrible Boris Karloff impersonation, please be my guest:
Despite its many shortcomings, ‘The Devil’s Rain’ is hands-down, one of the more criminally-underrated albums in The Misfits’ discography. It’s nowhere near as bad as some fans and other critics make it out to be. At the same time, however, it’s not the comeback most of us may have imagined. I like to think that may be the reason why this album has had such a mixed reception upon its initial release. So many people were expecting this “comeback album” when in actuality, The Misfits never truly left in the first place. Personally, you could do a lot worse. This may not the greatest Misfits album, but that’s still no excuse to exclude it out of your collection. Happy listening, kids…until next time, Gotta Dash!
Rating: 3.5/5